Visually impressive, shallower than other GT versions
Like many, I have been waiting for this game for a long time, having been a big fan on the GT games.
So I guess there are two reviews needed, one for those who are familiar with the series, and one for those who are not.
So, is it a proper Gran Turismo game on the PSP? A qualified yes. There are loads of cars, and loads of tracks, and it looks better than I would have believed possible on the PSP. The graphics are smooth, wonderfully detailed, with no trace of scenery popup (so far). The cars look great, the tracks look great, the dust effects are convincing. Loads of cars, and loads of varied tracks, real and fictional. Including new versions of tracks from the old games. However a few things are missing that GT fans may be disappointed by.
There are only 3 opponent cars at a time. Not good.
There are no options to buy parts to upgrade your cars. Ouch.
There is no career mode. Double ouch.
To be fair, given the limitations of the hardware, the first two are understandable. But I'm really not sure about the lack of career mode, which really does drop the long term appeal. I suspect they were taking the view that unlike a home console, the PSP is often used in short bursts while travelling, rather than for extended sessions.
For those unfamiliar with the series, the structure is the same as most others, with a series of races, and opportunites to get more cars. It looks better than any other racing game I have seen, and it is the first time I have been tempted to hook the PSP up to a big screen - it really is that good. There are also nice graphic flourishes like the way that the others cars brake lights come on as they slow down.
Sound is pretty good, (if you use phones of course), though the soundtracks may not be to everyone's taste. I normally play with the music down anyway...
Overall I give it 4 - but only because the other GT games had more depth. Despite that it is still a huge game, and I really can't emphasize enough how good the visuals are.
I think I'll be sticking my elbows into other passengers on the bus for weeks to come as I get into this!
Greatest racer ever for PSP
I'm quite a fan of racers on PSP, having both WipEout games, Need for Speed Undercover and F1 but this gamehas massively raised the bar. This is definitely the best racer on the PSP (with perhaps the exception of maybe Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, which i've not had the pleasure of playing yet). [EDIT: now reviewed Motorstorm too, with a slight GT comparison for those thinking of getting one or the other]
This game has been in development just a tad too long, i'd totally forgot it was ever mentioned back in 2004. But to say its been a while in development does no justice to just how superb this game really is.
Prositives:
- I pre-ordered the UMD version which arrived this morning. From the moment you start it up you realise this game is something quite special. Somehow, developers are managing to squeeze more and more out of the PSP, and this game is the showcase of the lot graphically.
- The cars are superbly rendered on the screen and are even better in the races, and really makes you wonder how this is just a PSP. The race tracks are equally well rendered. Of course, there are limitations to the PSP so there are still jaggies and hard lines where there should be curves, but i'd expected far more.
- The controls i found take a little bit of time to get used to, certainly my first race wasn't exactly smooth, but i'd expected this as with any new game. After a few races though, it feels very smooth and intuitive. They've done a good job with less buttons.
- I'm only in the early stages of the game and haven't tried racing the fast cars just yet, but even with the slower cars the game feels fast. I can only imagine what its going to be like with the supercars.
- The number of cars and tracks is stupendous, i can't work out how they've managed to get so many into 1Gb of storage space. I don't think you could ever do collect every car!
The graphics and the gameplay really do make this game so superb.
Limitations:
- There have been number of rumblings on the internet following the announcement that there is no campaign mode. I've never had a GT game before (with the exception of GT5 Prologue), so this is not a feature i know to miss. However, if you are a hardened fan of GT then you may miss it. There are a series of challenges with races and tasks within each one that will keep you interested and tested while improving your virtual driving skills.
- Cockpit mode is pretty shoddy really, and after playing GT5 Prologue, i was expecting something slightly better rendered. It is still my prefered driving method though, giving a much more realistic driving feel.
- Car availability seems a little confusing to me. New cars are available each virtual day but not always the ones you want. You have to exit the challenge mode to go back to the main screen to go to the showroom. At first i was doing this after each race - if you leave the challenge it adds a virtual day, so new cars become available. Now i've realised you can do more than one race in a challenge then exit and it will only have added one day too.
- there are only 4 cars on a track. this surprised me as i was expecting more, but it's not bothered me at all, you're usually only concentrating on the car in front and the car behind anyway! its definitely still a challenge.
Overall:
If you are already a GT fan and you own a PSP, and you want the GT experience on a portable, i'd hazard a guess that you will be quite pleased at this amazing game.
If you have never played GT and you want a polished and superb racer/driving simulator that will make your shiney PSP even shinier, then this really is, by far, the best game you could get.
GT PSP has made itself a must have for PSP owners, even in the rapidly expanding collection of great PSP games.
Perfect for a quick thrash around the Nordschleife in your favourite cars.
I've only seen GT3 on the PS2 and played it briefly (my son decided to trade it in for something else shortly after we bought him his PS2 with this game), so I'm not a Gran Turismo expert and the lack of a 'challenge mode' doesn't really bother me.
I have (and like) Ridge Racer on the PSP, but it can get frustrating constantly finishing 2nd when I want to move onto the next race (and all the races seem a variation on a few selections).
After a few hours of GT on the PSP, I can say it has better graphics than RR (although not as much better as some might lead you to believe) and the ability to hack cars around well rendered representations of the Nordschliefe or Laguna Seca has already been great fun.
As you would expect, the cars are clear as to what they are and, for example, the RX7 handles vastly differently to the Renault Megane. Driving the lines correctly really does reward you with faster times.
The lack of damage is a bit odd (but equally I'd never complete a lap of the Nurburgring if damage worked - Perhaps it could've been made switchable?) and the limitation of 4 cars isn't that much of a problem from the play I've done so far - The tracks, though, seem more of a challenge than the other drivers.
If you take this as a 'pick-up-n-go' game, where you can hack your favourite cars around some of the world's greatest tracks (and lots of fictional ones - The Amalfi coast was pretty well represented with killer hairpins - I'm sure I spotted the turn to the hotel I stayed in last year at one point!) it's a winner on the PSP.
If you were expecting GT5 (or even GT4?) on the PSP, you will be disappointed, but perhaps your expectations were a little unrealistic?
About Gran Turismo (PSP) detail
- Amazon Sales Rank: #54 in Computer & Video Games
- Brand: Sony
- Released on: 2009-10-01
- Rating: To Be Announced
- Platform: Sony PSP
- Dimensions: .26 pounds
Gran Turismo (PSP) Description
The highly acclaimed Gran Turismo makes its highly anticipated
- Developed by Polyphony Digital Inc. for PSP - Gran Turismo's debut on PSP is developed by the internal team behind the world's best-selling racing series.
- Over 800 vehicle models - Players can race their favorite vehicles from the top manufacturers around the globe, including Ferrari, Nissan, and more. The vehicle model count climbs to over 4,500 when the various paint configurations are included.
- Over 30 Tracks from Around the World - Famous circuits and some of the favorite environments from the Gran Turismo series have been optimized for racing on PSP.
- Share and Trade Vehicles with Others - For the first time in the Gran Turismo series, players can share and trade the vehicles they have acquired throughout the game with others via PSP's ad hoc mode. Certain vehicles will be acquired by trade only, so players will want to trade and share in order to virtually drive all of the meticulously designed vehicle models.
- Dynamic Vehicle Roster - Based on the amount of time Gran Turismo is played, the in-game calendar will change the dealer car lineup seasonally.